Can’t imagine it’ll get brighter so that may be it for the day. The umpires are deliberating in the middle and are casting some cold glances to the TV production assistants who are getting the sponsors boards ready for the post-stumps interviews.

Antoinette Muller (@mspr1nt)

Cricket is so batshit crazy. Just been told we can play until EIGHTEEN mins past six. Not 18:15, 18:20, 18:30. JUST 18:18.

BAD LIGHT STOPPED PLAY - South Africa lead by 15

17th over: South Africa 42-1 (Cook 23, Amla 16)

Ali’s around the wicket, too. Not much to report under the final ball, which Cook leaves, thinking the ball has pitched outside leg. It hasn’t – in fact, it’s pitched on middle and leg – and hits Cook’s pad very straight on. End of the over and the umpires have decided to take the players off in the deteriorating light.

Looks like Dharmasena might have “offered” the light because we’ve got spin from both ends now with Joe Root. If Cook had insisted on a quick bowler, we would have come off. Root, around the wicket to the right handed Amla, fires three down the legside. Two byes to start with, then two dots before Amla flashes one past legslip (no chance of a catch) for four.

Ali comes into the attack as Kumar Dharmasena checks the light. Looking gloomy out in the middle. Bit of spin, just one single worked into the legside for Amla. Jeremy Boyce emails in, after a pretty glorious lunch: “I’m wondering if i’ve overdone it on the mushrooms there, as we seem to have time-slipped, with Woakes bowling the same over twice. Perhaps it’s for real, I reckon we either need to bring on a timelord or Davros to be sure of bagging Amla. or maybe we should play them at the trilogic game, i’m sure Cook could out-think de Villiers over 1400 moves....”

Woakes persists with an offside channel before going at Amla who picks up one to square leg. The penultimate ball of the over squares Cook up and gets him high on the bat (maybe glove). Ends poorly though, drifting on leg stump and is flicked around the corner for another single.

Stokes moving the ball into the right-handers, but the line allows Cook to leave and then a slip in length allows the debutant to help him around around the corner for a four. Full and quick for the fifth delivery, but this time it moves too much! The final delivery takes off but Cook avoids it outside off stump.

Chris Woakes replaces Anderson. Finds a good length with his second ball, which has Amla neither forward nor back and almost squares him up. Single pinched into the legside, as Stuart Broad, not the fleetest fielder,ducks down to pick and throw, as Cook makes it to the striker’s end. Over ends with a poor ball from Woakes – short, wide, four.

Ben Stokes into the attack and he immediately sticks one on Amla. His first delivery pops up off a length and crashes into the right thumb (the bottom) and Amla yelps in pain. Straightaway the glove comes off and the phsyio makes his way out. It looks like the nail has come away and there’s a bit of blood. After a few minutes, Amla faces back up and is struck in front: big appeal from the cordon but nothing from the bowler, who chases into the legside to field the ball.

Broad gets one to cut through Cook, who exhales into the stump microphone as he doubles over, almost as if it was a punch in the gut. An inside edge then clatters into his boot before he fnishes the over with a lovely shot off the back foot, through cover for four.

Amla hasn’t quite got his timing right and England’s close-in fielders are enticed every time he cocks his bat. A shot into the offside cannons off the inside edge but safely into the legside for two. Right behind the final ball.

Cook gets off strike, riding the bounce and dropping the first ball into the legside. Amla finds the offside fielders and then pierces the slip cordon to get off the mark! It was an outswinger by Jimmy but just out of the reach of third slip.

Excellent from Cook: Broad punished for drifting onto middle and leg which bring three after good work from Hales to save the boundary. That delivery aside, there’s a good flow to this Broad over. Amla sees it out, but not convincingly.

Anderson goes around the wicket to Elgar and gets him second ball. Hashim The Dream comes to the crease: 109 in the first innings – what does he have for us here? At the moment, some nice, compact defensive shots.

Real loosener from Stuart Broad allows Elgar to get off the mark. Should have got more than a single for it, though: short, wide and slow, that could have been thwacked through cover or midwicket for a few. Movement from Broad off the pitch, as Cook plays one that shapes in and leaves him. Ends with a beast: quick, short and Cook jumps before trying to adopt the foetal position in mid-air.

“Those tremors or memories from Johannesburg could come flooding back,” says Michael Atherton, as Stephen Cook leaves the first two deliveries from James Anderson as the third innings of this Test gets underway. The scoring begins with a lovely cut shot by Cook, which he nails in front of point for four.

Andrew McGlashan (@andymcg_cricket)

Since start of 2015, Eng bats have made 63 50+ scores in Test. Converted just 21% into tons. Only WI & Bang lower if my maths right #SAvENG

WICKET! Ali c Piedt b Morkel 61 (England 342 all out)

Good move to bring Morne Morkel in to get rid of James Anderson, but he gets off strike with a long single through cover. Ali then tries to hit him over the top but can only find Piedt, who is patrolling deep cover.

Rabada’s still going. There are men out on the legside fence, which are brought into play as Ali pulls a short length delivery. No single taken, though. Rabada goes wide outside off stump but Ali decides to hold back from giving it the kitchen sink. Two balls left, the field comes in to stop the single and Ali goes over the top of point for four. Moeen has a go at one down the legside but no contact through to de Kock.

Duminy makes way for Piedt. Ali tries to dab him fine on the legside but totally misreads the length and the turn, meaning he can only get a leading edge on the ball, which sends it towards the left of where first slip is standing. However, first slip (Dean Elgar) reads the dab and begins to make his way behind the keeper and towards the legside. He stops and dives to his left but to no avail. Four. A bye gives Anderson the last three and, after the fielders are brought in, Jimmy dead bats the lot.

Rabada starting his 28th over. The desire is there but the nip is slowly seeping out of him. Ali can thrash across the line and through midwicket for his first fifty of the winter, from 90 balls. Have a blow, Kagiso...

Andrew McGlashan (@andymcg_cricket)

The most overs Rabada has bowled in a first-class innings is 29.5 - and that came in this series, at Newlands. #SAvENG

Ali takes the single on offer at deep square leg, allowing Anderson to face the relatively innocuous Duminy. The third ball, a long hop, is clattered through extra cover for four. Cannot wait to see Jimmy’s reverse sweep... but here’s the slog sweep first. Huge heave, miss and somehow the ball has missed off stump.

Broad goes to the third ball of the over – on replay, it looks like the ball wasn’t short enough to hook, but Broad got a decent connection on it, right to the man on the square leg fence. There’s a bit of rain falling, as Ali punches down the ground. It looks four off the bat but some swift work across the ground from Temba Bavuma ensures it’s just a single. Anderson, face of thunder, manages to see out the over.

WICKET! Broad c Cook b Rabada 5 (England 320-9)

SEVEN FOR RABADA! Incredible – he’s got the best Test figures against England since readmission! Broad goes after a short ball and can only top edge. However, the ball still travels some distance and Cook takes the catch right on the square leg boundary.

My word – first ball after tea and a chance is put down! A full toss from Duminy is punched hard and through Hashim Amla at short cover. Tough, no doubt, but should have been taken. The rest of the over is a bit of a mess. Some news from Kyle Abbott – he has injured his hamstring, reducing South Africa to three frontline bowlers. Expect to see a lot more from Duminy this session...